Definitely, time is always an issue haha. But I progressively realised that solo travelling is not necessarily about backpacking 6 months, 1 year, you can do that over the weekend and have a great time, meet awesome people; what counts is your mindset! you just have to be in the mood quickly 😉

I always love to see people who are fired up and enthusiastic about life, who have goals and dreams. You go for it, Jarrad! You might find some of your goals changing or evolving with time, but that’s okay, too! I am much older than you are, but I still have lots of goals. There is no life without hope, and our goals and dreams give us hope. Too many people, as they get older, stop dreaming, but I say, if that happens to me, then just shoot me! Lol.

Re: 29. When I was little my mother gave me little vitamin pills that I /could not swallow/. They were tiny, but it was just impossible– gag reflex was too strong, which is a feature, not a bug, and serves you well; never be ashamed of that. I pretended to take the vitamin, to please her, but really just hid it in my cheek until I could sneak somewhere and dispose of it. Most of them were dropped inside the piano. Years later, long after I’d grown up and moved out, Ma’s gas water heater failed and burned the house down and the piano with it, so I got clean away with my pill waste crime and none the wiser.

Here’s a trick that works: put the pill in your mouth. Put a good slug of water in your mouth. Feel around with your tongue until you’re sure the pill is in the middle and not someplace it’ll get stuck. Shake your head sharply like a crane swallowing a fish and swallow the whole thing. Done!

I can’t help with any of the other stuff, not having any family in Australia, for example. And piercing is just disgusting no matter where you do it. I mean, why? Don’t do that. Stockholm sounds nice. And the balloon trip. Good luck, and go for those!